Chapter 87
Elizabeth
BEGIN.
The word sat in the center of the map.
Nobody spoke.
For a moment, the entire library seemed frozen.
Then Chloe blinked.
“What exactly are we beginning?”
“Hopefully not our deaths,” Lucien said.
“I’d like one week without a near-death experience.”
“You’ve never had one week without a near-death experience,” Tristan replied.
“That’s fair.”
Normally, I would’ve smiled.
Normally, Lucien’s ridiculous comments would’ve eased some of the tension crushing my chest.
Not tonight.
Tonight, something felt wrong.
Different.
The word on the map wasn’t a warning.
It felt like a countdown.
Vanessa’s grandmother continued staring at the parchment.
Her expression had gone noticeably paler.
Damon noticed it too.
“You’ve seen this before.”
Not a question.
The old witch slowly nodded.
“Once.”
The room immediately fell silent.
Adam folded his arms.
“Well?”
The old woman exhaled heavily.
“The map only awakens when the prison reaches a certain level of instability.”
My stomach dropped.
“How unstable are we talking?”
Her eyes lifted to mine.
“Far more unstable than it should be.”
Wonderful.
Absolutely wonderful.
I rubbed my forehead.
“Can anything in our lives ever just be normal?”
“No,” Chloe answered immediately.
“At least she’s honest,” Lucien said.
Vanessa rolled her eyes.
The brief humor vanished almost instantly.
Because none of us could ignore what the old witch had just said.
The prison wasn’t simply weakening.
Something had changed.
Something was accelerating it.
I looked down at the map.
“What if the creatures are doing it?”
Nobody laughed.
Nobody dismissed the idea.
Damon’s jaw tightened.
“They are.”
The room turned toward him.
“What do you mean?” Adam asked.
“The possessed servant.”
Damon’s voice was calm.
Cold.
Controlled.
“The creature Elizabeth encountered.”
His silver eyes narrowed.
“They aren’t acting independently anymore.”
A chill ran down my spine.
“They’re working together.”
Nobody liked that.
Not even a little.
The realization settled over the room.
Whatever was trapped behind that door wasn’t waiting anymore.
It was planning.
Preparing.
Moving pieces.
And somehow, I was one of them.
The symbol on my hand suddenly burned.
Pain shot through my palm.
I gasped.
Instantly Damon was beside me.
Fast.
Dangerously fast.
His hand closed around my wrist.
“What happened?”
The mark glowed crimson.
Heat pulsed beneath my skin.
The library lights flickered.
Vanessa swore.
Magic crackled around her fingers.
Then the world disappeared.
Everything vanished.
The library.
The mansion.
Everyone.
Gone.
Darkness surrounded me.
Cold darkness.
Ancient darkness.
Stone pillars rose from the shadows.
Blood-red roses climbed their surfaces.
Thick vines covered the walls.
And standing at the end of an impossibly long corridor—
The red door.
My heart nearly stopped.
It wasn’t a vision.
I knew that immediately.
Because I recognized it.
Every detail.
Every crack.
Every symbol carved into the stone.
As though I’d stood before it before.
A voice echoed through the darkness.
“Elizabeth.”
I froze.
The sound felt older than time itself.
Ancient.
Powerful.
Terrifying.
The door trembled.
Something moved behind it.
Something massive.
Something alive.
“Elizabeth.”
The voice sounded amused now.
Almost pleased.
“You remember.”
Fear exploded through me.
Then everything shattered.
The library slammed back into focus.
I stumbled backward.
Damon caught me before I hit the floor.
The room spun.
Everyone stared.
“What happened?” Adam demanded.
My pulse hammered.
I couldn’t breathe.
Couldn’t think.
The words echoed inside my skull.
You remember.
You remember.
You remember.
“Elizabeth.”
Damon’s voice cut through the panic.
“Look at me.”
I did.
Silver eyes.
Focused.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
But steady.
Grounding.
“What happened?”
I swallowed.
“I saw the door.”
Nobody spoke.
“I saw all of it.”
Vanessa stepped forward.
“What do you mean?”
My gaze drifted toward the map.
“It wasn’t a vision.”
The realization terrified me.
“It felt like a memory.”
Silence.
Complete silence.
Then Vanessa’s grandmother spoke.
“Because it is.”
The room erupted.
“What?”
“That’s impossible.”
“How?”
The old witch ignored everyone.
Her eyes remained locked on me.
“You’ve all been asking the wrong question.”
A horrible feeling settled in my stomach.
“What question?”
She pointed toward the symbol on my hand.
“The question isn’t why you’re connected to the prison.”
The mark burned hotter.
“The question is who connected you.”
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
Then the grandfather clock in the hallway struck midnight.
The sound echoed through the mansion.
One.
Two.
Three.
Each strike felt wrong.
Heavy.
Ancient.
The final chime faded.
Then something answered.
A deep thud echoed beneath the floor.
The entire mansion shook.
Books crashed from shelves.
Chloe screamed.
Vanessa’s magic exploded from her hands.
Blue light filled the library.
The map suddenly burst into silver flames.
Everybody jumped back.
The fire raced across the parchment.
Not consuming it.
Changing it.
Symbols shifted.
Lines moved.
The map transformed before our eyes.
Then another impact shook the mansion.
Harder this time.
Glass shattered somewhere downstairs.
Adam immediately moved toward the door.
“What was that?”
Nobody answered.
Another crash echoed through the house.
Closer.
Much closer.
Every vampire in the room went still.
Listening.
Hunting.
Damon’s expression darkened.
Lucien straightened.
Tristan looked toward the hallway.
For the first time all night—
Nobody was joking.
“What is it?” I asked quietly.
Damon’s eyes never left the doorway.
“Something’s inside.”
The room froze.
Vanessa’s grandmother looked horrified.
“No.”
Adam frowned.
“What?”
The old witch stared at the burning map.
“The barrier.”
My stomach tightened.
“What about it?”
Her face drained of color.
“The protective barrier around this mansion was created generations ago.”
Nobody spoke.
Realization dawned across her features.
“Oh no.”
Vanessa stepped closer.
“What is it?”
The old witch looked directly at me.
“If something crossed that barrier…”
Her voice barely rose above a whisper.
“It didn’t come from outside.”
The room went silent.
Completely silent.
Another thud echoed beneath our feet.
Closer.
The chandelier overhead trembled.
Dust drifted from the ceiling.
Then Chloe pointed toward the hallway.
Her eyes had gone wide.
“Um…”
Nobody liked the sound of that.
Slowly, every head turned.
The corridor beyond the library stood dark and empty.
For one brief second.
Then a figure appeared.
Standing motionless at the end of the hall.
Watching us.
Watching me.
My breath caught.
My heart stopped.
Because it wasn’t a stranger.
It wasn’t a creature.
It wasn’t one of the ancient beings from my visions.
It was me.
Standing in the shadows.
Wearing my face.
My eyes.
My smile.
Only there was something horribly wrong about it.
Something unnatural.
Something hungry.
The thing tilted its head.
And smiled wider.
“Elizabeth,” it said softly.
Then every light in the mansion went out.